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News Bits: 1/2/2016 Edition

Happy New Year all! Resolutions are made, and it’s time to really try to follow through. For about a week. Maybe.

In any case, looks like Producers 2 could be a thing. The show did quite well in Korea, even though I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have. So it looks like PD Seo Soo Min, who worked with PD Pyo Min Soo after he replaced her other original partner Yoon Sung Han, is thinking of a sequel. Nothing has been formally decided though; it sounds like wishful thinking to me. But Producers definitely helped break a mold in the types of dramas that are on television and perhaps give greater attention to the variety space. [link]

Jung Woo Sung has confirmed that he’ll star in Jo In Sung’s upcoming film The King. Im Soo Jung was initially slated to join as Jo In Sung’s wife, but she has since backed out and the film is currently casting for her role. Lee Joo Yeon, formerly of K-pop group After School and making a larger foray into acting, has joined the film but it doesn’t look like she’ll play Jo’s wife though. Nevertheless she’ll play a pivotal part in this film about an ambitious prosecutor (Jo) who tries to use his gangster friend and his powerful supervisor (Jung) to his advantage. It hopes to begin shooting at the end of January. [link 1, link 2]

Park Bo Young is looking for a leading man! For her movie, not her personal life. Back in May it seemed like Kang Ha Neul was going to be her leading man in the film Your Wedding but that didn’t come to fruition. Now it’s 2016 and the production is still looking for someone. The film is a melodrama about a man who receives an invitation to the wedding of his first love, so just imagine the angst that comes with that! They’re looking for someone who can fit Park Bo Young in terms of age and chemistry, as it has to be believable. I say they oughta throw Jo Jung Seok’s name into the ring! The two of them work great together! [link]

Cheese in the Trap is starting next Monday! I’m so excited and also feeling so unprepared because I have other shows to catch up on! The drama, airing on tvN, is also drawing a fine line between romantic comedy and melodrama for the network. TvN made romantic comedies their theme for 2015, with shows like Fool’s Love to Oh My Ghostess to Ex-Girlfriend’s Club. But after Cheese in the Trap and Answer Me 1988 the network will be airing thrillers like Pied Piper (starring Shin Ha Kyun), Signal (with Lee Je Hoon and Kim Hye Soo), Memory(with Lee Sung Min and a script that is highly reminiscent of SBS’ current drama Remember), and Dear My Friends (the Noh Hee Kyung-penned drama with Go Hyun Jung). It’s a departure from dramas that are surefire hits, especially for the overseas audience. But with this lineup it looks like tvN is committing to a more dramatic flair for 2016. [link]

ICYMI – BBC’s Sherlock aired its New Year’s Special The Abominable Bride in the US and UK on the same day. Shocker! The episode whets fans’ appetites – including mine – even though it’s set in the Victorian era, quite separate from the first three seasons’ contemporary setting. I won’t say more to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet, but if you’re a fan of Sherlock you wouldn’t dare miss this one. Though touted as a standalone episode, it really isn’t so you’ll need to watch this before you watch season 4 (said to come in 2017). It’s not my favorite episode, and I personally think it favors fan service over storytelling, but I’ve come to terms with it and look forward to what’s to come.

3 thoughts on “News Bits: 1/2/2016 Edition”

Yes! If I had to pick #1, it’s still season 1 episode 1. I like how it sets everything up and the case itself is quite good. After that it’s season 2 episode 1 with Irene Adler and then season 2 episode 2 with “Hounds of Baskerville”.